Contributors

Aleta, 26, Virginia | Aleta is the associate editor of a national history magazine (World War II), and an unapologetic fragrance nerd. Growing up on a farm west of Portland, Oregon, she spent many summer nights attempting to make perfume by soaking flowers in cups of water (if only her mother had let her use the vodka). Her most prized possessions include a bottle of French cologne brought home by an American GI after World War II (L’Ardent Nuit by Cotay), a signed copy of Perfume: The Guide, and a handwritten “enjoy your purchase” note from perfumer Mandy Aftel. Other obsessions include lipstick, Pellegrino, Adirondack chairs, and yoga. Her website: worldwarII.com.

Caitlin Miller, 25, Pennsylvania | Caitlin recently completed her master’s degree in British Literature at St. Andrews in Scotland. She’s just moved back to the U.S., currently residing in Pennsylvania, and now works for a local non-profit. She studed French during her undergraduate years and even lived in Paris for a years. She loves traveling, but now that she has to hold down a “real job” now, she travels by way of new perfumes. She says fragrance has a way of transporting you to a new place, which is one of the reasons she loves perfume! You can follow her on Twitter!

Chelsea Nusbaum, 28, California | Chelsea grew up in Los Osos, California, which is a small coastal town. She completed her undergraduate degree in Literature/Writing at University of California, San Diego. She recently completed her master’s degree in Rhetoric and Professional and Technical Writing. Chelsea currently works as a proposal editor for a local defense company. She loves to freelance and edit, but between her full-time job and awesome pets, what little time she has left she devotes to fragrance!

Jamila, 22, California | Jamila is a graduate of Spelman College, native Atlanta peach–but with a California Girl personality. She loves to smile, laugh, and enjoy her life to the very fullest. She’s been a beauty fanatic since her teenage years.

Jamila finds every day is a blessing and believes in living beautifully–carpe diem!

Sam, 18, New York | Sam is am 18-year-old freshman at New York University, who is double majoring in Russian Literature/Language and Psychology with a minor in Vocal Performance. Were you to seek him out outside of class, you might find him brushing up on his fencing techniques (épée) at the local academy preparing to try out for NYU’s Division I after a two-year hiatus from a national team. He may be on set at a photoshoot, pursuing his career as high fashion model (you just might spot him walking the runways of NYFW soon!). Or he could be restaurant hopping, hitting up Balthazar for their terrine de lapin, Momofuku for a quick pork bun, and Café Boloud’s lounge side for a cocktail and hideously overpriced dessert. And maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll catch him belting out “Later” (from “A Little Night Music”) or “Purpose” (courtesy of “Avenue Q”) in the streets or dorm halls. But you can always catch him breaking his diet and sorting though a bag of almond M&M’s, snagging only the blue and green ones. Yellow if he’s desperate!

Amanda Allington, Washington D.C.| Amanda Allington was born in Vancouver, B.C. in Canada but her family moved to southern California when she was just five years old. She’s lived along the west coast, including Hawaii but has just moved to Washington D.C. Amanda has been married to her husband for four years and they have a two-year old son. Her husband is part of the military, so she and her family move around often, but she really enjoys it, because she can experience different places and people! Luckily, no matter where she has moved, she always finds other people who are as beauty obsessed as she is!

Leili, 19, New York | Leili is a 19-year old New Yorker who is obsessed with beauty, chocolate, and celebrity of the trashiest kind. Her drawers look like the stockroom of a hair salon! She’s currently enrolled in her second year of college but still trying to decide on her major. When she’s not worrying about that, she’s either at home with a good book, baking scrumptious goodies for her family, or exploring new restaurants with her friends. Check out her blog, Materialistic Musings!

Angela Umelo, United Kingdom, Cosmetic Chemist| One of the leading brains behind beauty, Angela is an industry-renowned Cosmetic Chemist with over 11 years training and experience in developing cosmetics and toiletries. Having been immersed in the wondrous beauty world from an early age, she was instantly captivated by the rituals, the artistry and the allure. This initial intrigue soon developed into an unequivocal beauty obsession partly fuelled by teenage skin dilemmas but also stemming from a deep seated creativity and desire for self expression.This was quickly followed by a behind the scenes role in new product development where she formulated make up and skin care for an array of global brands. Still not content with the industry offerings, especially those for women of colour, she still indulges herself with customised formulations to suit her specific beauty needs! Despite her wealth of scientific knowledge Angela takes what she calls a “feelosophical” approach to the industry. So whilst analysing ingredients and technologies, addressing safety fears and generally aiming to reveal the truth she never loses sight of the one essential thing about beauty and that is appreciating how it simply makes you feel! Check out her blog Beauty Feelosophy!

Dustin Hunter, Washington, Makeup Artist | Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Dustin Hunter has been designing various media since his early teen years. Studying several different art forms, Hunter’s creative background ranges from illustration and photography to fashion and interior design to music production and makeup artistry. He has worked for over a decade as a professional illustrator and his retail interior design concepts have been featured in nation-wide publications, receiving recognition for their uniqueness and creativity.

An avid musician, songwriter and producer, Hunter’s education in audio production combined with his experience in advertizing have garnered him the opportunities to work as the creative director for an Internet-based radio station, design various radio ad campaigns and produce music for himself and other artists around the country.

As a makeup artist, Dustin Hunter combines his love of music and visual art to construct images of experimental beauty for both stage and photography; creating avant-garde makeup looks for photographers, performers and musicians. Check out his blog and YouTube channel!

Edith (Edie) Bryan, 27, United Kingdom, Nail Care Expert | Edie is 27-years old and hails from the beautiful country that is Wales, in the UK. She’s an esthetician and has been trained in all aspects of beauty, from waxing to skincare, but she specializes in nails. She discovered her talent for nails at 17 and worked as a junior technician. In 2005, she started her own business running a nail salon in her home town. She found creating beautiful nails was the perfect way to combine her natural creativity and her obsession with fashion and beauty into one.

She hopes to develop her own beauty brand, so she is currently studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Management. In her free time, Edie tests out, researches, and reviews beauty products and stays up-to-date on industry-specific training. Check out her blog Touch Beauty and follow her on Twitter!

Kathy S., Georgia, Makeup Artist | Kathy was born a long, long time ago in the Sonoma Valley in California but grew up in the South, which is where she resides currently. Her passion for makeup goes back to when she taught her babysitter to curl her eyelashes at the ripe age of six! When Kathy was 13, she received her own makeup set–she says she looked like a cross between Stevie Nicks and Rocky Horror, but “it was the 1970s, so no one noticed.”

Kathy has been doing makeup for personal clients, with some print and promotional work thrown in! Her advice for readers is, “Don’t stop learning; there is always something new and fascinating out there–go find it! If you have an idea, share it! Life is short, have fun!”

Nita J., 27, Virginia, Makeup Artist | Marnita Joy Wiggins, also known as Nita J., has been a part of the makeup, beauty and fashion world for over seven years. She began her career as a freelance makeup artist and beauty consultant in 2002. Since then, she has participated in numerous fashion shows, photo shoots, and has even worked with VH1 reality TV personalities and recording artist.

Just as an artist’s paintings are dear to him or her, so are Nita J’s many clients and their finished looks after a beauty session. Nita J is a Beauty Educator and Product Trainer for Steelo Cosmetics and founder, creative director and editor in chief of GlamFetish Magazine. She is also a member of the Paint and Powder Pro Team headed by Emmy Award winning makeup artist Susanne Patterson

Nita J is a strong advocate that true beauty lives in each and every individual. To her, makeup just enhances beauty and should never be used to mask the beauty that a person was born with. With her knowledge of makeup, cosmetic brands, marketing and the beauty industry, Nita J hopes to contribute as much as she can and instill in the minds of others that confidence and true beauty is soul-deep. You can check out her portfolio and her blog!

Sarah Cormier, Ohio, Makeup Artist | Sarah Cormier is a self-taught makeup artist in Cincinnati, OH. She mostly does wedding makeup but also has experience working on various photo shoots, fashion shows, and films. In addition, she is a freelance artist for her favorite line, MAC!

When she isn’t busy with makeup, she teaches Spinning classes at her local gym, and also attends Body Pump, Pole Fitness, and Cardio Kickboxing classes. Her other hobby is shopping, favorite stores are Nordstrom, the MAC store, Lucky Brand, and White House Black Market. Sarah is happily married to her wonderful husband of two years, Nate. Check out her blog, Sarah C. Makeup and sarahcormier.com.

Victoria Sun, 19, Massachusetts, Theatre Makeup | Victoria is a 19-year old college sophomore who attends school in Massachusetts for Engineering, but she’s an avid Theater Makeup Artist and has worked on a variety of shows, from dance shows (think intense, flamboyant glitter) to periodic musicals. She aims to combine her “nerdy” passions with her artistic ones: to overanalyze the mathematics of reshaping the face, learn the science of why a product works better or worse.

She’s a romantic dreamer who enjoys re-imagining herself in a soap opera, pretending one day a prince is going to come riding in on a dragon and take her away. Until then, she’s planning to use her makeup brushes and colors to force her friends to be the stars of her imaginary fairytale.

Adrienne, 24, Scotland | Adrienne lives in Scotland, and she writes for The Sunday Girl, which is mostly beauty but with a little life thrown into the mix. She was born and bred in Scotland, still resides in a damp Scottish town, and jokes that she sees about three days of sunshine a year–but it’s a lovely place to live. She is currently attending university studying both English and French with hopes to become an English teacher.In her free time, she loves to shop and hang out with friends–and beauty blog when she can!

Amanda, Traveling | Although born in New York City, Amanda grew up in the historic neighborhood of Hyde Park in Chicago, IL. She pursued her academic training in New England where she studied ancient history, comparative literature, art history, and archeology.

While earning her degree at university, Amanda traveled around the world to a plethora of countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. She currently lives on New York City’s Upper East Side where is pursuing a graduate degree and working in education. Amanda has studied the histories of beauty around the world and is herself, an avid admirer and practitioner of the beauty techniques she studies.

Amanda’s multifaceted travel experiences have provided her a unique perspective and, quite suitability, an eclectic taste. To track her travels, thoughts, and techniques follow her at www.aklectique.com. As a world traveler (and with more travel plans on the horizon), she’ll be offering a unique perspective of the amazing local brands and products she’s discovered and still discovering.

Christelle Yvon, 26, France | Christelle lives in Corsica, which is in the south of France, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, though she was born in Paris. She lived in Paris for eighteen years before settling in the south of France. Christelle studied public law for three years and grauated in European Affairs two years ago; her daytime job is in public administration.

She loves to travel and has visited most of the European countries (she loves visiting Budapest and Roma). In her free time, she loves to ballroom dance, go out with friends, and enjoy the beautiful weather of her locale.

Dâmaris, 37, Brazil | Dâmaris is 37-years old and Brazilian. Her parents taught her to love nature and observe its colors, textures, sounds, flavors, and fragrances. She deeply appreciates nature and respects it, and she has found this education helped her develop a taste for beauty in all its various expressions, like music, photography, and cosmetics.

She studied in Psychology and currently teaches at the University. Dâmaris believes there is an art of self-care, which is good for your emotions. She describes her philosophy as, “Taking care of the body is good for the heart, thoughts, and does good to the will to live. Highlighting your points of beauty is a secret we learn every day.” Check out her blog, Village Beaute!

Eva, Hong Kong | Eva considers herself thick-skinned and confident, so you’ll always find her in good spirits! You might find her serious and quiet, though, but she says there’s a part of her that’s childish and always giggling inside. She’s a carefree spirit who sometimes relies too much on luck, but she can’t help it.

Eva loves meeting new friends, especially those who share her passions. She gets easily obsessed and falls in love with new things, whether it’s a book, movie, or person. She also has a fascination for history and all things historical, especially European history! Check her out on DeviantArt!

Kimberly Nissen, 25, Australia | Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Kimberly started her working life early at the tender age of 15. For most of the past 10 years, she has worked for some of the biggest media corporations her sunny country has had to offer. She always wanted to become a writer, but with no training and never having finished high school, it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

In 2009, her mother’s cancer returned for the second time in a matter of months, so she decided to quit her ‘career’ and move home to look after her. Kimberly saw this as her golden opportunity to start writing, mostly for my own amusement; on the topic she loved most: BEAUTY! She created The Plastic Diaries and The Styleless Diaries. She also co-founded the first niche-specific blogging event in Australia, the Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend.

Lulle, 32, France | Lulle was born in France, and she says she came to life so hungry that she was trying to swallow her entire first–and the fondness for food never went away! She wasn’t obsessed with makeup as a teenager or young adult. At 25, she moved to Instanbul, Turkey, where she lived for five years, and this is where the beauty addiction started. When she wandered through duty-free shops while traveling, she discovered a whole new, glamorous world.

Lulle is easy-going, loving, and spontaneous; she loves to enjoy every moment of life. Check out her blog, Beau Miroir!

Mehak Sagar, 24, India | Mehak is 24-years old and a number-crunching economist from India. When she’s not analyzing data, she’s analyzing beauty, which is where her real passion lies. She loves blush and the color peach, and together, the two give her unparalleled happiness (hence her blog, Peaches and Blush).

Aside from beauty, she loves food, shoes, traveling, dancing, and painting. She has an unhealthy obsession with chocolate cookies, lip balms, her three-year-old niece, and planning her upcoming wedding. Mehak lives with a joint family, which means 13 people in a single house, but she says it just means there is more makeup to go around!

Melanie Castro, 21, Brazil | Melanie is 21-years old and lives in Brazil. She has brown eyes, brown and curly hair, and cool-toned, fair skin. She’s a future journalist, vegetarian, feminist, and the boldest Aries you’ll ever meet. One of her life goals is to be free of prejudice and hate as much as possible. She would love to work at a cultural magazine or write a cultural column.

Melanie attributes her interest in beauty products to Japanese men, because she was a big fan of J-rock, specifically Visual Kei, when she was younger. It inspired her to try to replicate some of the makeup looks the musicians wore! Her philosophy is simple: everyone is beautiful–every size, shape, hair, nose lips, hands, everything! You can follow her on Twitter or check out her blog!

Polly Smyth, 22, England | Polly is a 22-year old recent graduate who hails from England. She studied East Asian studies, so she learned some Japanese and even spent six weeks in Japan last summer–she loved it and hopes to return one day.

She currently lives with her family and waitresses while trying to decie on her future career. Polly is fortunate to have a wonderful boyfriend who spends countless hours with her at Boots and makeup counters–even if it is done so begrudgingly! Check out her blog, Beauty Mish Mash!

Rae Chen, Canada | Rae, the easily-distracted Canadian blogger behind theNotice: a beauty blog, is neither the brains nor the beauty of the operation. (The subjective existence of either has yet to be determined – we’ll get back to you on that one.) She is, however, a rather relentless makeup junkie with a camera, a lack of a filter, and a writing style that’s rather more snark than sycophant.

It’s a combination that doesn’t necessarily bode well for a serious conversation, but hopefully it makes for a fun, honest read. If four years of beauty blogging have any say in the matter, it probably stands to reason that she won’t muck it up too badly, right?

Expect rambling sentences, a lighthearted take on Canadian brands, and a thorough abuse of punctuation. Your brand-new Rae comes with a two-year limited warranty and can be returned at any time with tags in tact. If provoked unintentionally, attempt to placate with carbs, dinosaurs, or lipstick before calling customer service.

Ria, 27, Finland | After being born and spending her childhood in America, Ria moved to the far reaches of Northern Europe to live in Finland with her parents. Exiled away from beauty brands most of us take for granted, she was forced to branch out and challenged to find new local favorites.

Now 27, her interest in beauty started originally as a hobby about five years ago, when she was looking for something new in her life. However, it soon turned into a full-blown obsession. She also attended makeup school to pursue her interest and has worked with beauty ever since. These days she spends most of her free time studying and writing, trying to finish her master’s thesis for university. She’s interested in the associations and values connected to makeup and is actually writing her thesis on YouTube makeup videos!

Her pet peeves are people who take makeup too seriously or are unwilling to try new things. Other interests she has include movies and visual arts, like photography, painting and drawing, though these days makeup is her main creative outlet. Another thing close to her heart is traveling around the world looking for new adventures and new makeup to bring back home!

Samantha C., Hong Kong | Sam is a 16-year old junior with a passion for all things beauty, though she has a soft spot for lipstick and blush. She started off her collection with mostly Western brands but began to get more interested in Asian brands because they were so much more accessible.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sam speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, a little German, and, of course, English. In her free time, she enjoys photography, craft projects, and spending time with family and friends. She’s studying for the SAT this year and looks forward to applying to universities in the U.S. next year.

Sheila, 21, Canada | Sheila is a Chinese-Canadian blogger in her early twenties with a passion for beauty. You can pretty much find her on Twitter at all waking hours of the day. She makes irrational judgments when it comes to purchasing decisions and would choose a $70 foundation over a $30 blouse any day.

Sheila enjoys reading random Wikipedia articles during my spare time, and also appreciates a good police procedural drama. Lastly, she loves taking random photos of things around her house in her spare time; Sheila’s camera of choice is a Canon EOS Rebel T2i (also known as the EOS 550D) with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens. For those who wonder, Sheila has dehydrated normal skin that occasionally breaks out. Her foundation shades are MAC NC25, Chanel B20 Beige Tendre and Guerlain #2. Check out her blog, Maddy Loves!

Stefania, 21, Italy | Born in a Southern Italian region on a clear morning of the Spring Equinox of 21 years ago, she lived your average middle class life there, up until she had to move to Naples at the young age of eight; in such a both infamous and famous city, she spent her adolescence, attending a Scientific High school, wisely and completely disregarding her disposition for words rather than Maths or Physics. After having graduated with flying colours in spite of adversity, with a choice just as sharp as the previous one, she then decided to study Modern Literature at University, granting herself a certain future of precarious, hard to find, low paid–if at all paid–jobs, which, for the sake of being politically correct, are usually referred to as ‘flexible’. Currently, about to graduate only to have at least two more years of classes to go through, writing is one of her few attempts at having a life on the side and keeping her sanity- or what’s left of it, rather.

Tamara Richards, Canada | Tamara lives in southwestern Ontario, where she works in a multi-disciplinary physical rehabilitation clinic. When she’s not there, you’ll find her at the local cosmetic counters or freelancing as a makeup artist.

She rediscovered makeup in her early twenties, and since then, she’s become immersed in the beauty community. Tamara loves the idea of sharing information with others who share her beauty interests. After being an observer for some time, she started her own beauty blog. She has learned so much and had an amazing time since starting, and she considers herself lucky to have two jobs she adores.

Cécile, 28, France/Switzerland| Cécile is 28-years old and is half French, half Belgian. She spent most of her life in France, with a little in Belgium and Cyprus, but she currently resides in Switzerland. For the past six years, she has worked in the cosmetic and perfume industry after she obtained her Master’s in Chemistry from ISIPCA (founded by Mr. Guerlain himself!), with an emphasis in cosmetics. She prides herself on her extended knowledge of cosmetic ingredients, skincare products, and European cosmetic legislation. She has been developing cosmetic products like skincare and suncare and is wise to marketing claims.Cécile has a natural curiosity about everything in life. She loves cooking world food and anything related to nature and animals. Her two cats, Guinness (Cyprus) and Guru (Siamese) are always there to keep her happy!

Cheryl Billinger, 34, Florida | Originally from Pennsylvania, Cheryl graduated from the local creative and performing arts high school where her focus was in Visual Art. It was during those high school days in the early 1990s that she bought her first MAC and Chanel eye shadows and developed a fascination for beauty products overall. She then went on to pursue a B.A. in International Relations with minors in Political Science and General Business. She spent two years living and studying in Nicaragua while working on her Bachelor’s degree which permanently changed her life.

Cheryl has been a vegetarian since the age of 13 and prefers to use cruelty-free products. She also has broad professional experience, ranging from marketing/public relations specialist, to pet sitter, to insurance adjuster. Having developed a preference for warmer climates during college, she now permanently resides in Florida.

Christina Bellevue, Canada | Christina is a professed skincare and makeup junkie living in La Belle Province (aka Québec, Canada). Although she cannot recall the exact moment her passion for beauty started, she knows that being voted “Best Lips” in high school was one of the many catalysts of her beauty junkyism, which a 3-year stint working in sales and retail marketing for an international beauty company fanned all the more.

When not reading beauty blogs and magazines, stalking the beauty aisle of her local pharmacy fawning over new products, or making her girlfriends spend way too much money at the beauty counter, Christina is studying full-time to obtain a masters degree in marketing, with a research focus on multicultural marketing and advertising in the beauty industry. Known among her friends as “the girl with a cautionary tale for everything”, Christina loves to try new restaurants with her friends, shop on eBay to satisfy her champagne taste on a beer budget, and watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer reruns whenever they’re on TV. With her academic background, professional experience and community involvement, Christina hopes to become a good role model in her community and make her mom, friends and boyfriend proud! You can follow her on Twitter!

Dain, 26, New England | Dain is a freelance editor and writer, who graduated with a Bachelor of Art in English. She expected to pursue an academic career but found her interests straying elsewhere–like beauty! She has dry, sensitive skin and is always looking for ways to keep her skin hydrated.

When she isn’t writing about beauty, she loves to play video games, cook (and eat!), and read. Check out her blog, Ars Aromatica!

John Su, 21, California | John describes himself as eccentric–you might find him having a conversation with himself or making “A Beautiful Mind”-like movements while doing so. He’s a stickler for accuracy, so you might find him correcting one thing or another! His goal is to answer questions and provide unbiased, meaningful, and insightful information.

At 21, he is an aspiring dermatologist and will return to school next fall to get those plans moving. John enjoys singing, playing piano, hitting volleyballs, playing video games, and chatting with friends. Some day, he’d love to try more adventurous activities, like skydiving and mountain climbing! Check out his blog, The Triple Helix Liaison!

Laura Hogan, 40s, New York | Laura “came of age” in the 80s, so she considers a survivor of some very disturbing fashion and makeup trends, like shoulder pads, acid-washed jeans worn unironically, streaky blush, and thick eyeliner that we softened with a lighter before putting it on–don’t even get her started on what women wore to the gym in those days! She now works in a more conservative field, and she’ll get an odd look or two if she wears crackle nail polish (and she expects we’ll look back on that trend with the same disbelief we now reserve for horizontally-striped leg warmers).

Laura sometimes thinks she may need an intervention for her beauty product addiction, because the inside of her bathroom looks like an Estee Lauder warehouse. When she’s not unhealthily obsessed with beauty and fashion, she lives and works in New York with her husband and two cats.

Marcia, Michigan | Marcia is a former elementary school teacher. Teaching was her absolute passion, and she never thought she’d want to do anything else. She considered herself a creative teacher and poured her heart and soul into it. When the opportunity came up to retire at a young age, she took advantage of it, but she needed a new outlet for her creative abilities–enter in beauty.

She began writing reviews online and became a freelance makeup artist. She’s worked for lines like Paula Dorf and MAC as well as was a prestige makeup consultant at Ulta. At present, she enjoys her retirement while writing her beauty blog, Beauty Info Zone. Marcia is a married mom with adult children and the cutest grandson in the entire world (no prejudice!). She has a very close family and elderly mother she cares for–her extended family means the world to her.

Nicki Zevola, Pennsylvania | Nicki Zevola is a beauty expert and the founder of FutureDerm.com, where she provides clear, well-researched information about beauty+skincare, fashion+style, nutrition+fitness, and personal development from a different perspective from most in the blogosphere.

Named one of the top beauty bloggers since 2009, Nicki is also a medical student (M.D.) with an estimated graduation date of May 2013. She has been interviewed or mentioned in The New York Times, Fitness, Shape, DermMatters: The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology online, Elegant Lifestyles, as well as other publications. She has also won numerous awards for academics as a student in the B.S./M.D. program at the University of Pittsburgh, including graduating magna cum laude with dual degrees in Biological Sciences and Physics/Astronomy and a minor in Chemistry, eight-time Dean’s List, Phi Beta Kappa, two-time Chancellor’s Outstanding Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Chancellor’s Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship, University Scholar designation, and many others.

When she’s not blogging or studying, she can be found reading, running, doing Pilates, or spending time with her family, friends, and boyfriend, Garrett. She loves Sex and the City, high heels, the Muppets, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. She is also an avid fan of the works of Jim Rohn, Martha Beck, and Success magazine.

Makeup Morsels, 18, California | Makeup Morsels is a pseuodnym, and if that seems a little bulky, just call her MM! She resides in California and on her last year of high school. She has black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin (think NC15), and often has people tell her she looks like a corpse! She’s guilty of having a slight obsession for both sunscreen and lipstick (both of which she says she needs to stop hoarding). You’ll typically find her stalking drugstore aisles for bargains or lurking around high-end makeup counters to window shop. MM also enjoys cooking (and eating), food photography, reading, and exploring the world of makeup. Check out her blog, Makeup Morsels!

Madeline, 17, California | Madeline is 17-years old and currently attends high school in southern California. She’s also lived in D.C. and a Connecticut suburb of NYC. She loves to read, write, as well as shop, travel, play golf, and spend time with her family and friends. She’s excited to go to college and hopes to attend university on the east coast. Despite living in California now, she feels like a New Yorker! Check out her blog, This Little Preppy Goes West!

Sam, 14, Georgia | Sam is 14-years old, lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her mom and two (of three!) older brothers. She was born and raised in Georgia, but her family originally hailed from Illinois. You will find her busy meeting new people and enjoying teen soap operas/dramas (like Vampire Diaries)–and of course, she’s madly in love with all things beauty. When she’s not playing around with makeup, you’ll find her with headphones on listening to everything; from classical to rap, pop to heavy metal, and almost everything in between (though she favors rock!).